Forgiveness
by nabooliola
Summary: Loki has broken free from the Chituari's hold and returned to Midgard to repair the damage he has done. While attempting to redeem himself, he discovers that he is not the only one crippled by guilt. Eventual Loki/Tony/Bruce with background Thor/Steve and Clint/Natasha/Phil. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

To say I received a warm welcome would be a lie. As soon as I stepped in the room, chaos broke loose. The people seated around the table were immediately on their feet, shouting various protests and arguing amongst each other. The only one to have a positive reaction was my brother who ran across the room to embrace me. I returned the hug, enjoying the feeling of love and acceptance his arms gave. It was almost enough to make me forget the angry words being shouted by his friends. It would be impossible to explain myself to them if they continued to yell. Fury, sensing this, silenced them all with a bellow.

"Everyone shut the fuck up! I can understand you being unhappy to see Loki here but you'll remember that he was given a full pardon for what happened." Barton opened his mouth to argue but Fury stopped him with a look. "Loki was not acting of his own volition. He has been granted full forgiveness and you will respect that. You will also be welcoming him into this tower because he has agreed to join this team." The statement was met with looks of surprise. Rogers, ever the good soul, beamed and came over to shake my hand.

"Glad to have you joining us, Loki." Stark was the next to shake my hand, a smirk playing across his face and mirth dancing in his eyes.

"God of mischief, huh? I think we can handle that." I returned the smirk before turning to the only occupants of the room who had yet to say anything. The assassin had taken a protective stance in front of the apprehensive archer. My heart sank. There was no way I would be able to regain their trust. Still, I have never been one to give up and knew that I had to try.

"Barton." I stepped forward, watching his face carefully and noting the way that Romanoff's muscles tensed at my approach. "I know there is nothing I can say to repair the damage that has been done. I can only ask that you please understand that you were not the only one being controlled. The Chitauri took me as a tool for their own purposes and my actions were not my own." My words were met with blank stares. After a moment, Romanoff left the room. Barton lingered, his gaze becoming contemplative.

"If what you're saying is true, I think I will be able to forgive you someday. I'm just not ready yet." Relief washed over me and I couldn't help the grateful smile that tugged at my mouth. He returned it before following his red-haired companion into the hall. After the door closed, Rogers turned to me.

"You'll have to be patient with them. They are not as quick to trust as the rest of us and they are still very much in mourning over Phil." I hung my head in shame at the name of the man I had slaughtered.

"I cannot apologize enough for robbing all of you of a teammate and friend." Everyone's faces fell and my brother put a hand on my shoulder.

"I am afraid that for our friends, the loss was far greater than that." Guilt came to me in intense waves.

"Barton and Romanoff…. They were his lovers?" Thor's nod sent me to my knees in sorrow. "I had no idea." I whispered, looking up at the captain. "I swear to you that I fought with everything I had to keep from harming that man." Shame forced my eyes to close as I confessed "I was not strong enough to save him. I am sorry." Hot tears fell from my eyes, shrouding my face in a mask of humiliation and self-loathing. To my surprise, Rogers knelt beside me, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"You can't continue to blame yourself for what happened, Loki." You had no control of the situation and were a victim, not the villain." My brother joined us on the floor and held me close to him as I wept bitterly.

"My brother, I vow that you shall never be used in such a way again." I sank into his embrace, feeling sick with myself.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, I tossed and turned. I was loathe to close my eyes for fear of seeing the look on Phil's face as he bled out. I wanted desperately to go to my brother for comfort but he had retired to bed with the captain several hours ago. Finally, I gave up on sleeping and left the guest room, wandering aimlessly through the hallways before finding myself in the kitchen. The white tile was cold on my bare feet and a low hum echoed through the room from the refrigerator, currently being rifled through by a man whose blue chest light reflected off the floor. Stark looked up, raising an eyebrow at me in question.

"Never had you pegged for a midnight snacker." He took a beer from the refrigerator and drank. "Want one?" I shook my head, lip curling.

"I desire nothing but water at the moment." Stark nodded, reaching for a glass and filling it from the sink, never breaking eye contact with me. The cool liquid was soothed my dry throat and I couldn't help gulping greedily. Stark took the glass and refilled it wordlessly.

"Having trouble sleeping?" I hesitated before nodding, taking another sip to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. "Don't worry, I won't pry." Stark took another sip of beer and wiped his mouth. "We all have our demons." I noticed the brief flash of sadness in his eyes before he hardened them with more alcohol.

"What demons could possibly plague the mighty man of iron?" I leaned against the counter. He looked away and sighed before downing the rest of his beer. When his eyes met mine again they were full of challenge.

"Don't tell me you aren't haunted by the past" he tried to sound mocking but I heard the quiver of nervousness in his voice. "Everyone has things they'd like to go back and change. Things they regret" Again, the image of Agent Coulson's dying face flashed across my mind. I blinked, willing my eyes to remain emotionless.

"The great Tony Stark has regrets?" My voice lacked its usual malice, genuine curiosity getting in the way. Stark considered me thoughtfully before answering.

"I haven't always been one of the good guys." He stared at a spot on the ceiling. "The name Stark hasn't always been associated with heroics or bravery. I designed weapons. Deadly weapons. I have killed more people than I can imagine. Becoming Iron Man, joining the Avengers… I don't do it for the same reason as the others. It's more than a calling for me." His eyes met mine, open and vulnerable. "I have a lot to make up for."


	3. Chapter 3

Okay so first off, I just want to apologize to anyone who is following this fic because I know it's been a really long time since I updated. My brother was in the psych ward and I started school and shit's just crazy. Anyway, I'm aware this next bit is short but a longer chapter will be up very very soon. Also, there is an actual second chapter added in case you didn't notice. Anyway, thank you for reading and for being patient with my current situation. I love each and every one of you!

Chapter 3

_The first thing I was aware of was the cold. It was almost unbearable. Opening my eyes, I surveyed the room. It seemed to be some kind of medical lab. A soft beeping sound behind me made me sit up. Or at least try to sit up. Someone had strapped me to the metal table I was lying on. Struggling against the straps caused them to tighten and an alarm went off. Behind me, a door opened and the sharp click of heels against tile entered my ears. _

_ "Now now Dr. Banner, we can't have you waking up yet." A woman appeared at my side, her bright red lipstick emphasizing her sneer. She stuck a needle into my arm roughly and almost immediately, I felt the world start to spin. Sluggishly, I reached through my mind for the Other Guy, trying to summon up enough rage to let him out but the chemicals working their way through my system threw me into blackness._


	4. Chapter 4

"Relax, Little Bird." Tasha placed a hand on my shoulder. I rolled over to face her and smirked.

"You should take your own advice." I traced the worry lines on her face. "You're tenser than I am." She looked away, frowning. "Tasha," I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. "We're safe here. You can step down." I could see the urge to give in and relax burning in her eyes before she blinked it away, slamming her mask back into place.

"You know I can't. Not when there's a threat." She had been on guard ever since Loki entered the tower. Both of us had been. It didn't help that we weren't sleeping well Phil was always the one who could get us to sleep. Honestly, I'm not sure how he was able to do it but he was always able to calm us both down. Tasha raised her eyebrows at my sigh.

"I miss him." Her mask fell completely and she held me tight, pulling the blankets over us.

"Me too, Little Bird." We curled up on Phil's side of the now too big bed. "Me too."

The days passed slowly. I had been given limited freedom, meaning I could wander the tower but wasn't permitted to leave without escort. I had taken to spending my time in Stark's laboratory. Though we bickered, I found his wit amusing and enjoyed out game of tempting each other's anger. It seemed that both of us appreciated someone who held their own in matches of verbal sparring. Most days I sat and watched him work, offering snide remarks and insults. Occasionally, he would ask for my assistance or explain to me what he was doing. Contrary to what I had previously believed, the science and technology of Midgard were intriguing. During these days in the lab, we avoided any mention of our midnight conversation, allowing the mood to remain light. Unfortunately, the peace we had built, like all things, had to come to an end.

It had started out as a simple day. Stark was making improvements to the aiming systems in his suit when I decided to ask a question that had been nagging at me for days.

"Where is Doctor Banner?" Stark dropped the tools he was holding, staring at the floor. "I only ask because I haven't seen him here yet. Does he not live in the tower?" Stark turned around, meeting my eyes with his dead ones.

"We don't know where Bruce is. He was supposed to move in but disappeared. We've looked everywhere." My heart stopped. I wasn't sure which was more frightening, the knowledge that Banner was missing or the broken look in Stark's eyes.

"There is no way to find him?" Stark laughed bitterly.

"Everyone involved with SHIELD has an implant that allows them to be tracked. You'd think it'd be easy to find Bruce. But his has been turned off." I frowned.

"Who could turn it off?" Stark raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea but whoever they are, I want to get Bruce as far away from them as possible."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! Again, I am very sorry for the delay. My depression has been really bad lately and it takes all of my energy to just attend classes. Thank you all for being so patient and I hope that this was worth the wait. Welcome to Operation Rescue Bruce!

"Any word yet?" Rogers paced in irritation. "They have to have found something by now, it's been days!"

"Nothing yet, Sir." I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Stark's disembodied servant still unnerved me. Romanoff rolled her eyes at the nervous captain.

"Remember, SHIELD agents aren't trained to track Gamma radiation. Finding large amounts will be a challenge for them and Bruce gives off small readings." Rogers slammed his fist against the (thankfully sturdy) concrete wall in frustration.

"Then we need to find people who are trained to track it. Bruce might not have time for these people to learn." My brother took his lover's hands.

"Director Fury has assured us that these men are his finest." He stroked Rogers' cheek. "You are doing a wonderful job, Captain. Do not carry so much guilt." The soldier allowed himself to sag in my brother's arms, appearing very small for the first time.

"But I'm the captain, Thor. This is my team and I'm responsible for everyone's safety. I've failed them." Thor rubbed his back soothingly.

"It was not a failure on your part. We all followed our protocol. No one could have predicted this."

"What happened exactly?" They turned to look at me and I continued nervously. "Did Banner simply disappear during the night?" It felt rude to ask, but I was still unaware of how the doctor had gone missing.

"After returning to his human form, the doctor went to SHIELD's medical facilities. He does this anytime the green one is needed for more than a day. The rest of us returned here and were informed the next day that he had disappeared." I raised an eyebrow at Thor.

"So he vanished while under the watch of SHIELD?" My brother nodded slowly, seeing where I was going. "And now we are entrusting SHIELD with the duty of finding him? Forgive me, but is that really the best course of action?"

"Are you suggesting this was an inside job?" Romanoff's glare was deadly. At this rate, I would never earn her trust but there were times when loyalty could be detrimental. If Banner was to be found, we couldn't place too much faith in SHIELD. I chose my words carefully, trying to explain this to her without causing offence.

"It must be considered as a possibility. He was in their facilities at the time of disappearance and SHIELD would certainly be capable of deactivating the tracking device Stark told me of." Thor nodded, meeting my gaze.

"The doctor has always been distrustful of SHIELD. Perhaps he knows things about them that we do not." Romanoff huffed.

"This is ridiculous. Why would SHILD be helping us look if they had him? And why would they take him to begin with?" I frowned. Surely she couldn't be this daft. Why did the self-described free agent maintain such strong loyalty to an organization?

"Obviously helping with the search would clear their name while preventing you from finding them. As for why they would take him, there are endless possibilities. Like it or not Miss Romanoff, Banner has the potential to be a very powerful weapon. Perhaps SHIELD plans to utilize that potential.

"Tasha, no!" The assassin, eyes burning with wild rage, didn't lower her gun from my face. She glared at her worried archer.

"Phil told us SHIELD was trustworthy. He wouldn't lie." So that was it. The redhead wasn't loyal to her employer, she was honoring her fallen lover. Barton slowly reached out and took the gun from her shaking hands.

"Nat…."

"NO!" She turned to me with a snarl. "Tony might trust him but I never will. He's a cold blooded killer, Clint. If any of you had any sense you would have let me pull that trigger." Her ragged breathing was the only sound in the now tense room as everyone stared at her. Barton took her head in his hands and brought her to look at him, whispering some kind of reassurance. After a moment, she nodded and they left the room. I turned and bowed my head at the weary soldier.

"I apologize for bringing conflict to your team, Captain. It was not my intention." He shook his head with a sigh, leaning heavily on Thor.

"Natasha isn't fast to trust. You didn't do anything wrong." He offered me a tired smile which I was glad to return.

"By the way, where is Stark?" He had been strangely absent the past few days and surprisingly, I found myself missing him. The captain frowned.

"He's not in his lab? I thought the two of you were always in there." My brother raise an eyebrow at that statement but I spoke before he could begin his teasing.

"I have not seen him there or in his quarters." Panic rose in Rogers' eyes and my brother acted quickly to quell it.

"Disembodied servant? Could you locate Tony for us please?"

"No need." Stark entered the room, giving me a devilish wink which made something flip in my stomach. He sat at the conference table, grinning at everyone. "How's the search going?"

"Nothing yet." The captain sank into the chair across from Stark, slamming his mask of responsible leader back into place. Stark snickered.

"I figured the boys from SHIELD wouldn't be much help. That's why I took it upon myself to spend some time in Brucie's lab. He has much better tools for tracking gamma rays." So that's where he had been. A small part of me felt hurt that he hadn't informed me of where he was but I quickly squashed that down.

"Were you able to find anything?" Stark smiled like the cat that had caught the canary.

"I found him. He's in one of SHIELD's hospitals." The grin faded. "The signals he's putting out are really weak though. I don't know what they're doing to him but we need to get him out of there." Thor turned to the captain.

"When do we leave?"

"Immediately."


	6. Chapter 6

I had no idea how many days I had been here. There were no clocks or windows in the room and my chemically induced sleep cycle seemed to be more dependent of the convenience of my captors than the passage of night and day. The sleep wasn't too bad. In sleep, I could go back to the lab and sit with Tony, eating blueberries and joking around. Unfortunately, sleep always ended. Waking up was awful; it meant more tests, more pain, more teetering on the edge of that sweet release of death only to be yanked back into harsh reality. Whoever it was that had me was well prepared. The drugs flowing through my veins were a careful mix of just enough sedatives and muscle relaxants to keep the Other Guy at bay while allowing me to maintain awareness. The woman who worked on me didn't speak to me and I had long ago stopped begging her for mercy. Today, she gave no form of greeting upon her entrance. The sharp click of her heels on the tile floor was my only warning before something was added to my IV. Fire raced through my veins and my vision gave out to a blinding white. I was vaguely aware of more movement in the room and when the pain subsided, bringing my vision back, I noticed another table had been wheeled in next to mine. Strapped to it was the body of what looked like a homeless man. He was thin, dirty, and nearly motionless. The only indicator that he was alive was the whirring and beeping of the life support machines. Why had they brought in a beating heart cadaver? The woman walked over and surveyed my new companion before turning to her assistants who had wheeled him in.

"He's scrawny." She glared at them. "You couldn't find anything better?" Ignoring their stammered excuses, she added something to his IV. "We'll be needing more steroids now." With a sick grin, she gestured to the man lying prone next to me. "Doctor Banner, meet your replacement." I frowned. Were they going to let me go and continue their experimentation on this man instead? Her smile turned compassionate, confusing me even more. "We're going to make you free, Doctor. That monster won't be a part of you anymore." Monster? They were planning to get rid of the Other Guy? She turned to her assistants. "Tell Director Fury that we are ready to start the transfer." Realization ran through me like an icy chill. They were planning to move the Hulk.

"You can't do that." My voice cracked, weak from lack of use. "The Other Guy is part of me. He can't exist independently." She sneered again.

"Banner, we aren't stupid. We know what we're doing." She turned back to her assistants, muttering and pointing at a chart. Craning my neck, I managed to see it and immediately had to fight the urge to vomit. They were going to perform brain surgery. There was a high likelihood that I wouldn't survive but the thing that filled me with more dread was the possibility of surviving. What would I do with a mangled brain? I was already a burden on the team. I was weak, dangerous, and unpredictable. Without the little brain power I provided, I would have nothing to contribute. The prospect of being useless was absolutely terrifying. I had finally found a place where I felt wanted and safe and losing that would be unbearable. How would I survive without that security, without the friendships I had built, without Tony? Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of Tony. What would happen with him and I? I thought back to the last time we were in the lab together, sitting so close our thighs touched. I remembered that moment when our hands brushed against each other, how our eyes had met, how my heart had pounded as we inched closer to each other. What would have happened if I hadn't run? Now I would probably never know. The woman added more sedatives to my IV and my mind became clouded. As my world became black I smiled, thinking of nothing but Tony.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, Nabooliola here. I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has been reading this. The reviews are what keeps this going, so thank you very much. I know a lot of you have mentioned you're having difficulty with the POV. This is my first time publishing a story on and I'm not really familiar with it. I have been putting indicators in but they get deleted when I upload. I'm going to keep playing with it and hopefully go back and make things more clear. Thank you for being so patient with me. I know things have been slow and I'm sorry. The depression is slowly getting better and I have more motivation to write. I have another chapter already written that just needs some editing and that should be up by this weekend if my homework load stays small. Again, thank you all so so so much and if it's not too much trouble, please keep sending in reviews. I love and appreciate every single one of you!

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Bruce

Pain was the only thing I could register for a while. I faded in and out of wakefulness, going back under before I could figure out where I was. I had no idea how much time I spent hovering in the doorway between sleep and awareness. I woke again, groaning from the overwhelming pain that this time, didn't send me straight back into slumber. Where was I? The surface I was laying on was luxuriously soft, nothing like the hard metal table I had grown used to. There was the faint beeping of some kind of monitor behind me. Instantly, I remembered the dark room, the click of heels, the red lipstick sneer, the diagram of the surgery. The surgery… Had they done it yet? My brain seemed to be in working order. I ran a few math problems through my head, having no difficulty. Had they been successful? Tentatively, I poked at the corner of my mind where the other guy lived. He growled in response and I was filled with a sick mixture of relief and disappointment. While I was glad that the world wasn't in any danger of the monster, I had been a bit hopeful that perhaps I could go back to having a normal life. I began to do a mental scan of my body and noticed a warm hand holding my own. It wasn't just any hand though; I would know this hand anywhere. I had spent countless nights remembering the pattern of callouses and lines, dedicating them to memory.

"Tony?" My voice sounded weak and scratchy. Instantly a cool towel was on my brow and the warm hand squeezed mine.

"Shh…. It's okay, Bruce. I'm right here." His voice was so gentle compared to the woman's. I struggled to open my eyes, wanting so badly to see him and know this was real. Unfortunately my body wouldn't cooperate. Again, the hand tightened. "Brucie, you can't move." Can't move? What did he mean? My mind raced, trying to find an explanation. The surgery…. My mental faculties were still in order but they must have paralyzed me. This was perhaps even worse. This way, I would be fully aware of much I burdened those around me. My panic must have raised my heart rate because the beeping became louder and faster. Both of Tony's hands were on my face now, pushing my hair back. "Bruce, calm down. It's okay. I should have worded that differently." The cool cloth was at my brow. "I only meant that you can't move right now. We had to sedate you pretty heavily." His voice shook and his hands stilled. "You were really hurt Bruce." He sounded so sad and broken and I wanted so badly to erase the hurt from his voice. The best comfort I could manage though was a whimper of his name. This seemed to snap him back into reality and his hands resumed their previous motions. "You're safe now, Bruce. That's all that matters. I'm never going to let anyone touch you again. I fell asleep to his hand in my hair and an overwhelming feeling of safety.

The next time I woke up, my eyes opened. Sweet sunlight burned in my vision but after so many days in the dark it was a welcome pain. Besides, without the light I wouldn't be able to see Tony beside me. He had dark circles under his eyes and his prized goatee was disheveled and overgrown but his smile was the biggest I had ever seen it.

"Hi…" I felt a blush creeping over my cheeks from the way he was staring at me.

"Hey" He continued smiling. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you awake again." His smile faltered a bit. "It really looked like we had lost you for a while." There was that broken voice again. I squeezed his hand, smiling in what I hoped was a reassuring way. He beamed back at me. "Well, you're back now and that's what's important. We just need to get you healed up and then notify Fury and-" Fury….

_"Tell Director Fury that we are ready to start the transfer."_

Fury had known. He knew what they were going to do to me.

"Bruce? Bruce?" Tony was waving frantically in front of my face. "Bruce are you okay?"

"Fury knew, Tony." I turned to him. "He knew." Tony's glare was deadly.

"That son of a bitch."


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone! I'm getting back on track with this story. I have another one cooking up that has stolen most of my creativity and I apologize for that. Anyway, here's the next chapter

/

Clint

"You're sure?" Steve asked for the fifth time. "Maybe they just said that to scare you or something." Tony groaned in annoyance.

"Like I said five minutes ago, can we really afford to take that risk?" Bruce smiled gratefully at him, his eyes weary. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki flinch. He had been doing that whenever Tony and Bruce showed signs of affection. Tasha huffed, her shoulders tense beside mine.

"Phil trusted Fury and so do I." Ignoring Loki's eye roll, Steve turned to her with a pleading look.

"Nat, being suspicious of SHIELD is not a betrayal of Agent Coulson." She fixed him with one of her death glares, eyes more firey than her hair. Bruce cleared his throat.

"I know it's hard to consider this but I know what I heard." He smiled gently at Tasha. "Coulson was never afraid to question things, Natasha. He learned that from you." She stared at him for a moment, her usually expressionless eyes glinting with the promise of tears before nodding slowly.

"I'm sorry, Captain." Her voice was shaky as she addressed Steve. "I've been compromised." Everyone gaped at her, having never seen Tasha this open before. I put a hand on her thigh and took over.

"So where do we go from here? If SHIELD was in on this whole thing it's only a matter of time before they come knocking down our door to take Bruce back." Panic flashed across Bruce's face and my statement and Tony quickly took his hands. Pain sparked in Loki's eyes at this but quickly turned to anger when he noticed me watching him.

"No one is taking him." Tony's low growl was almost animalistic. Beside me, Tasha nodded.

"They'd have to get through us before they even see him." Bruce blushed, staring down at the table as one by one, we swore to protect him.

"If it would help…" Loki looked at Tony nervously. "I could cast a spell that would prevent anyone but the six of us from being able to see Banner."

"That would be amazing!" Loki blushed a bit at Tony's approving smile. "JARVIS, up the security on the tower too, just in case.

"Systems are operating at 300 percent, Sir." JARVIS sounded almost smug. "And for what it is worth, Doctor Banner, I fully intend to keep you safe." Bruce blushed even darker, mumbling his thanks. Tony turned to the rest of us.

"Do any of you need your weapons updated? We need to be at our best if we're going against SHIELD." I nodded.

"More of those exploding arrows would be good…. And the trigger on one of Nat's guns is sticking." Tony nodded.

"Good. Done. Anyone else?" The others shook their heads and he nodded again. He had that same wild look in his eye that was present when he was working on a new project. "Alright. Prep for battle!" Thor and Steve left the room, probably to spar. Tasha, however, stayed behind. I stayed with her, waiting for Loki to finish his cloaking spell on Bruce. I couldn't help noticing the way the god studiously avoided Tony's eyes. When the spell was complete, Loki left the room and Bruce turned to Tasha with a guilty look in his eyes.

"Listen, Nat… I'm really sorr-"

"Shhh" She stepped forward and pulled him into her arms. Tony's eyebrows flew up into his hairline and he glanced from her to me in question. I smiled and shrugged before leading him out of the room so Bruce and Tasha could talk. After shutting the door, Tony turned to me with a sly grin.

"So…. Fury's a liar." His was wearing that smug smile that meant he thought he had figured something out. Knowing he wouldn't stop prodding until I asked, I sighed.

"Alright, I'll bite. Where are you going with this?" He waggled his eyebrows.

"Well maybe Fury's lying about other things too." His smile softened a bit. "We never saw Coulson's body, did we?" Clapping me on the shoulder, he walked off, leaving my mind reeling behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

Finals are almost over! I'll have a few weeks of freedom where I can do more writing. I had this chapter sitting around half finished forever but couldn't find the time to edit and finish it.

/

Steve

For the next few days, everyone was on guard. No one had shown up demanding Bruce but that hadn't caused us to relax much. If anything, the anticipation had put everyone on edge. Several birds had met an untimely end from Clint's arrows after flying too close to the tower. Tasha was even more sensitive than usual to people walking up behind her; fortunately the bruise under Bruce's eye was starting to heal. The doctor was feeling guilty for bringing so much stress to the tower and was going out of his way to calm us down. I don't think I've ever drank this much tea before in my life but the nightly meditation sessions were nice and did help me sleep. By day seven though, even that didn't help. We all sat in the common living room, knuckles turning white from our tight grips on our weapons. Tony was in what had become his usual position of being wrapped around Bruce, something Loki kept shooting glares at. I glanced at Thor, wondering if he had noticed his brother's behavior. He met my gaze and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Knowing we would discuss it later, I leaned back against him.

"We can't do this anymore." Nat's head shot up and she glared at me. I put my hands up quickly. "Don't worry, I'm not suggesting we abandon Bruce. I'm just saying we can't keep waiting like this. It's driving us all crazy. We need to know one way or another what's going on." Tony nodded, holding the doctor tighter.

"It's time we let them know that we're not giving him up." Bruce blushed, hiding his face behind Tony's arm and Loki let out an audible growl. We turned to him questioningly and he blinked a few times.

"Stark is right." He glared, challenging us to question him further.

"…Right….." I cleared my throat. "So does anyone have any ideas?" Nat spoke up.

"I say we contact Agent Hill. Phil always said she was the most trustworthy agent in SHIELD. If anything is going on, she'll tell us." Clint nodded, sharing a look with Tony at the mention of Coulson's name. Bruce shifted nervously.

"You're sure we can trust a SHIELD agent?" Nat smiled at him.

"Remember when I went and got you from India? Hill was the one who suggested it. She convinced Fury that you were on our side." Clint snorted.

"And she kicked the crap out of Morton after he referred to you as the 'giant green freak show'. He's still licking his wounds." Tony chuckled.

"Sounds like it might be a good idea. What do you think?" He turned to Bruce, softening his gaze. "We won't do anything you aren't comfortable with. We want you to feel safe." Bruce ducked his head, blushing even darker.

"If you guys trust her than I do too." Nat smiled before standing.

"I'll go ask her if she knows anything." Seeing the concern on my face, she rolled her eyes. "Relax, I know what I'm doing." Clint followed her out of the room. Thor squeezed my hand before motioning for his brother to come with him, a request Loki reluctantly obliged.

"So in the meantime what are you two going to-"I stopped talking at the sight of Tony pressing his lips to Bruce's. Getting up quickly, I decided now was a great time for a workout.


End file.
